Poll watchers note increasing intimidation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A poll watch activist has predicted that
\nviolence will intensify against poll monitors in the third round
\nof campaigning ahead of the June 7 elections.<\/p>\n
Secretary-general of the Independent Election Monitoring
\nCommittee (KIPP) Mulyana W. Kusumah said: \"We have received
\nreports of violence toward KIPP volunteers as well as other poll
\nwatchers such as Unfrel (the University Network for Free and Fair
\nElections).\"<\/p>\n
He said KIPP had demanded the police investigate the reports
\nand said the poll watchdog may sue involved parties.<\/p>\n
\"It seems to me that poll watchers have become targets of
\ncertain parties who want to foil a free and fair poll.<\/p>\n
\"With the election only few days away, those parties would do
\njust about anything to reach their goal ... Poll observers are
\none of their main obstacles,\" he said after a media conference.<\/p>\n
Mulyana reiterated that poll watch activities will continue as
\nscheduled. \"We will not give up. But we want better security
\nguarantees from security forces and we will pursue legal action
\ntoward every case of violation and pressure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to a decree by the General Elections Commission,
\npoll monitors were entitled to legal protection.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Unfrel revealed that the incident on Saturday in
\nwhich six of its volunteers were intimidated in Meulaboh, Aceh,
\nwas committed by local security forces.<\/p>\n
The six students were told to lie on the ground and were
\nstripped, Unfrel's written report said. Some of them were kicked
\nand beaten by security officers, and were eventually released
\nafter the officers failed to find proof that the students were
\nlinked to the Free Aceh Movement, the report said.<\/p>\n
Weapons<\/p>\n
Last week KIPP also urged that political parties ensure their
\nsecurity forces are disarmed of sharp weapons.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Police have said they would only conduct raids on
\nsharp weapons if all political parties would guarantee that their
\nsupporters would not protest. Four poll watch networks here have
\ndemanded that police act firmly with party supporters carrying
\nweapons, to prevent violence.<\/p>\n
Abdurrazaq, head of the Yogyakarta Joint Forum of Poll
\nMonitors, said weapons were freely carried during campaigns,
\nmostly by supporters of large parties -- such as the National
\nMandate Party (PAN), PDI Perjuangan, the United Development Party
\n(PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).<\/p>\n
In Dili, East Timor, the secretary of the Provincial Elections
\nCommittee, Abdul Hakim, said on Monday that if reports of
\nintimidation to vote for a certain party were true, the polls in
\nthe province would not be valid.<\/p>\n
He was responding to reports that people were being pressured
\nby village heads to vote for Golkar. Abdul is also secretary of
\nthe provincial chapter of the National Mandate Party (PAN). The
\nelection committee was looking into the reports, he said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Dili provincial Election Supervisory
\nCommittee, L. Sormin, said firm action would be taken against any
\nparty known to be involved in intimidating voters.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Golkar Party also complained of intimidation,
\nsaying it made it difficult to hold campaigns as scheduled.<\/p>\n
\"Our cadres often receive threats that our convoys will be
\nattacked,\" Sutoyo Abadi, the party secretary, said.<\/p>\n
Harassment of Golkar supporters has been reported from several
\nCentral Java regencies.<\/p>\n
KIPP also announced six cases of violence and intimidation
\ndirected against its volunteers and one suspected murder of a
\nKIPP worker.<\/p>\n
The cases took place between May 14 and May 24. The first
\noccurrence of violence was the stabbing of KIPP volunteer Andy
\nSatrya in Selayar regency, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Azis Silla, a volunteer in Takalar, South Sulawesi, was killed
\nwhen he was hit by a vehicle taking part in a street rally on May
\n24. Police are investigating the crash to determine whether there
\nare political motives behind the incident.<\/p>\n
Among cases reported by KIPP was the harassment of volunteers
\nduring a Golkar campaign in Simalungun, North Sumatra. \"They were
\npelted with stones because they were suspected of being spies and
\npractitioners of black magic although they repeatedly showed
\npeople their identification cards,\" the head of KIPP's legal
\ndivision, Sirra Prayuna, said.<\/p>\n
KIPP lodged a protest Monday at the Ministry of Defense and
\nSecurity against all forms of elections violence which had not
\nbeen effectively handled.<\/p>\n
On May 20, two volunteers of the KIPP chapter in Pangkah
\ndistrict, Tegal regency, Central Java, were monitoring PDI
\nPerjuangan street rallies when they were beaten by rally
\nparticipants. Both volunteers, Ainur Rofiq and Sudarmin,
\nsustained bruises all over their body, a KIPP press release said.<\/p>\n
In Lamongan, East Java, the local KIPP office was attacked on
\nMay 19 by unidentified people who threw stones at the office.<\/p>\n
\"Lamongan doesn't need a poll watchdog,\" an unidentified phone
\ncaller said. KIPP said harassment in Lamongan was believed to be
\nlinked to a statement the committee released regarding violations
\nby a political party there. (anr\/44\/33\/edt\/har)<\/p>",
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